VB Preview: vs. #16 Minnesota, Indiana

• The second-ranked Nebraska volleyball team is back at home for the first time since Oct. 26 when it hosts No. 16 Minnesota on Thursday at 8 p.m. The Huskers will also host Indiana on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

• Both matches this week will be televised on Big Ten Network and streamed on the Fox Sports app. Larry Punteney and Emily Ehman will be on the call Thursday night, while Larry Punteney and Lauren Stivrins will call Saturday’s match.

• Huskers Radio Network with John Baylor and Lauren (Cook) West will broadcast all the action on their volleyball affiliate stations, on Huskers.com and on the Huskers App.

 

ABOUT THE HUSKERS

• Nebraska has won 21 matches in a row since a loss at SMU on Sept. 3. Seventeen of the 21 wins have been sweeps, including the last four matches.

• Entering Thursday’s match, Nebraska has won 15 sets in a row.

• Nebraska is 6-0 against top-10 teams this season, which is the most top-10 wins in a regular season in school history.

• Nebraska is 9-0 against ranked foes this season, as SMU was not in the AVCA Top 25 at the time of that match.

• The Huskers rank 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten with a team hitting percentage of .295.

• Nebraska ranks seventh nationally in kills per set (14.28).

• Outside hitter Harper Murray is leading the Huskers with 3.30 kills per set and 25 service aces and is hitting .255. Murray also adds 2.15 digs per set.

• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is averaging 3.06 kills per set for the Big Red and is hitting .258 with 1.30 digs per set and 23 aces.

• Taylor Landfair is putting up 2.51 kills per set and hitting .254.

• Middle blocker Andi Jackson is averaging 2.67 kills with a .444 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the nation.

• Middle blocker Rebekah Allick adds 1.68 kills per set on .337 hitting with 1.28 blocks per set. Allick has moved into the top 10 in school history in career blocks with 354.

• Setter Bergen Reilly is averaging 11.12 assists per set, which ranks sixth in the nation and leads the Big Ten. She also adds 2.90 digs per set and has 17 aces. Reilly has 13 double-doubles and has been named Big Ten Setter of the Week three times this season.

• Three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Lexi Rodriguez guides the Husker back row with 3.70 digs per set. Last week, Rodriguez passed Kayla Banwarth for No. 2 all-time in career digs at Nebraska. Rodriguez now has 1,731 and is chasing Justine Wong-Orantes (1,890).  

 

SCOUTING REPORT: MINNESOTA

• No. 16 Minnesota is 16-8 overall and 9-5 in Big Ten play after suffering home defeats to Washington (3-1) and No. 12 Oregon (3-0) last week.

• Julia Hanson leads the Golden Gophers with 3.73 kills per set and is hitting .270. She also has a team-high 26 aces.

• Lydia Grote adds 2.87 kills per set and also has 26 aces.

• Phoebe Awoleye ranks seventh nationally in blocks per set with 1.49. As a team, Minnesota ranks 13th (2.78).

 

SCOUTING REPORT: INDIANA

• Indiana is 12-12 overall and 5-9 in the Big Ten after losses at home to No. 9 Purdue (3-1) and No. 20 USC (3-1) last week.

• Candela Alonso-Corcelles paces the Hoosiers with 3.58 kills per set, while Avry Tatum adds 3.42 kills per set.

• Camryn Haworth averages 9.96 assists per set and has 42 aces on the season.

• Libero Ramsey Gary ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.20 digs per set.

 

SERIES HISTORY

• Nebraska is 38-12 all-time against Minnesota and won both matches against the Golden Gophers last year.

• Nebraska is 23-1 all-time against Indiana and has won 23 straight against the Hoosiers since Indiana’s lone win in 1978.

 

SERVE AND PASS

• Nebraska has allowed just 46 service aces this season, which leads the nation. The next closest team is Pittsburgh with 54 aces allowed.

 

BALANCED ATTACK

• Nebraska has seven different players averaging between 1.68 and 3.30 kills per set.

• Six different players have led the Huskers in kills in a match this season.

• Setter Bergen Reilly ranks sixth nationally averaging 11.12 assists per set.

• Nebraska’s attack has been one of the best in the nation this season. The Huskers rank 11th in hitting percentage (.295) and seventh in kills per set (14.28).

 

HOME SWEET HOME

• Nebraska has won 38 home matches in a row dating back to Dec. 1, 2022, which is the longest active streak in the nation.

• The Huskers’ home win streak is its longest since moving into the Devaney Center in 2013.

• Nebraska’s longest all-time home win streak was 88 matches from 2004-09. Since then, NU also has a home win streak of 38 matches in a row from 2009-11.

 

RODRIGUEZ AMONG ALL-TIME GREAT NU LIBEROS

• Lexi Rodriguez is in her final year of a stellar career as the Huskers’ libero. A four-year starter and a three-year team captain, Rodriguez will go down in history as one of the all-time greats in Nebraska volleyball history.

• Rodriguez has 1,731 career digs entering Thursday’s match, which ranks No. 2 in school history. U.S. Olympian Justine Wong-Orantes is the career leader in digs at NU with 1,890.

• On Sept. 30, Rodriguez was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. She averaged 4.71 digs per set in the first weekend of conference play, helping the Huskers hold UCLA and USC to season-low hitting percentages at the time.

• On Nov. 11, Rodriguez earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the seventh time in her career, as she averaged 4.17 digs per set to help the Huskers to strong defensive performances in sweeps at No. 12 Oregon and Washington.

• Rodriguez is a three-time AVCA All-American, earning first-team honors in 2021 and 2023, and second-team honors in 2022. She will look to join Kadie Rolfzen (2013-16) and Sarah Pavan (2004-07) as the only four-time All-Americans in program history.

• Rodriguez made her mark instantly as a freshman in 2021, earning AVCA National Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Over the last two seasons, Rodriguez has guided the Huskers to the No. 1 defense in the country, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year again in 2023 to become the fifth player in Big Ten history to receive the honor twice in a career.

 

BEASON BACK TO LEAD HUSKER ATTACK AGAIN

• Opposite hitter Merritt Beason is providing 3.06 kills per set this season and hitting .258, along with 1.30 digs per set and 23 aces.

• Beason put together a sensational season in 2023 - her first as a Husker after transferring from Florida - earning AVCA first-team All-America honors and AVCA North Region Player of the Year, becoming just the second Husker (Kelly Hunter) to earn that honor.

• In 2023, Beason averaged a team-leading 3.76 kills per set on .282 hitting with 2.05 digs per set. She was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times and was the AVCA National Player of the Week on Oct. 23 after averaging 4.25 kills per set and 1.75 digs per set in wins against Northwestern and top-ranked Wisconsin.

• Beason was the MVP of the NCAA Lincoln Regional after 19 kills, 11 digs and a career-high eight blocks in a regional final win over Arkansas.

 

VERSATILE MURRAY HIGHLIGHTS SOPHOMORE CLASS

• Sophomore outside hitter Harper Murray is the team leader in kills with 3.30 per set and adds 2.15 digs per set and 25 aces, the most on the team.

• Along with Bergen Reilly, Andi Jackson and Laney Choboy, Murray made an instant impact at Nebraska in 2023, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year, All-Big Ten First Team and AVCA All-America Third Team honors.

• Murray finished her freshman campaign with 3.23 kills per set, the highest kills per set average by a Husker freshman since Kadie Rolfzen (3.46) in 2013. One of the Big Ten’s best six-rotation players, Murray also added 2.07 digs per set with a team-high 36 aces. She was a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

 

REILLY SETS THE TONE

• Sophomore setter Bergen Reilly ranks sixth nationally with 11.12 assists per set this season, and she has 13 double-doubles.

• Reilly was the Big Ten Setter of the Year in 2023, becoming the first freshman to win the award since it originated in 2012. Reilly was also an AVCA second-team All-American and an All-Big Ten first-team selection.

• Reilly led all Big Ten setters with 10.51 assists per set in 2023, and she has received seven career Big Ten Setter of the Week honors, including on Sept. 2, Sept. 16 and Oct. 14 this season. 

• Reilly was named Best Setter at the season-opening AVCA First Serve Showcase in Louisville, Ky., as she guided the Huskers to a 3-1 win over No. 9 Kentucky with 39 assists and 11 digs.

 

JACKSON IN ACTION

• Sophomore middle blocker Andi Jackson has elevated her game to new heights in 2024, as she is averaging 2.67 kills per set with a .444 hitting percentage, which ranks fourth in the nation.

• Jackson was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28 after averaging 1.57 blocks per set in wins against Illinois and Michigan, along with 3.00 kills per set on a .417 hitting percentage.

• Jackson showed enormous athleticism and potential the first time she stepped on the floor as a Husker, and she followed through with a strong debut season that included AVCA All-Region, All-Big Ten Second Team, and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors.

• Jackson averaged 2.01 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set with a .399 hitting percentage in 2023, which ranked third in the Big Ten and 19th in the nation. Her hitting percentage was the best ever by a Husker freshman and ranked seventh all-time in the rally scoring era.

• Along with Reilly, Jackson helped the U.S. U21 National Team win the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto this summer, hitting .654 throughout the tournament with 39 kills and 10 blocks.

 

ALLICK BRINGS THE BLOCK

• Junior middle blocker Rebekah Allick is putting up 1.28 blocks per set so far this season. Offensively, she has provided 1.68 kills per set on .337 hitting.

• Allick’s career 1.27 blocks per set ranks No. 3 in school history in the rally scoring era.

• Allick has 354 career blocks entering Thursday’s match, which ranks 10th in school history.

• In the season-opening victory over Kentucky, Allick had 11 kills and hit .667 while tying her career high with 12 blocks. Her performance earned her Best Middle Blocker and Most Valuable Player honors at the AVCA First Serve Showcase. She averaged 1.90 blocks per set in the first three matches of the season, which earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.

• Allick was again named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after 2.00 blocks per set in sweeps at Illinois and vs. Iowa.

• Allick is a two-time AVCA All-Region and All-Big Ten second-team selection. Last season, she averaged 1.76 kills per set with a team-high 1.50 blocks per set, which ranked second among Big Ten players and seven in the nation. Her 1.50 blocks per set was also the No. 2 mark in school history in the rally scoring era.

• Allick was at her best at the end of the 2023 season, registering a career-high 12 blocks in the NCAA regional final win over Arkansas and 10 blocks in the NCAA semifinal sweep of Pittsburgh.

 

FRONT ROW DEPTH   

• Front row depth is one of the strengths for the 2024 Nebraska volleyball team.

• While middle blockers Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick have started most of the matches at that position, Leyla Blackwell, a transfer from San Diego, has played in nine matches and made four starts and is putting up 2.39 kills per set on a .493 hitting percentage with 1.39 blocks per set.

• Blackwell had nine kills and seven blocks and hit .600 earning the start on Oct. 12 vs. Rutgers. She also had seven kills and three blocks and hit .429 while stepping in for a sidelined Andi Jackson at Illinois on Oct. 3.

• On the pin, Taylor Landfair has started 13 matches and Lindsay Krause has started 12 matches.

• Landfair, a senior transfer from Minnesota, is averaging 2.51 kills per set and has started the last nine matches.  

• Landfair tied her season high with 13 kills in a 3-0 sweep at No. 7 Wisconsin on Nov. 1.

• In her senior season, Krause is averaging 2.29 kills per set and has 15 service aces.

• Krause was instrumental in Nebraska’s 3-2 win over No. 9 Creighton on Sept. 10 with a team-high 17 kills, five blocks and six digs.

 

HALL OF FAME COACH COOK IN YEAR 25 AT NU  

• Nebraska head coach John Cook is in his 25th season as the Nebraska volleyball head coach in 2024. He has led the Huskers to four national championships, 11 final fours, 13 conference championships and 22 top-10 final rankings since 2000.

• Cook has 874 career wins and is one of the all-time winningest coaches in NCAA history. Since taking over the program in 2000, Cook has led the Huskers to a nation-leading .876 win percentage (713-101).

• On Sept. 10, 2024, the Huskers defeated No. 9 Creighton 3-2 for Cook’s 695th win at Nebraska, which moved him past Terry Pettit for most wins all-time as the Nebraska volleyball head coach.

• Under Cook, the Huskers have achieved 68 AVCA All-Americans and 20 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, both among the best in the nation. He is a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year, earning the prestigious honor in 2000, 2005 and 2023, and an eight-time conference coach of the year, including Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2023.

• In 2023, Cook was voted AVCA National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year after leading a young Nebraska team with no seniors to its first Big Ten title since 2017. The Huskers finished the regular season 28-1 overall, their best regular season record since going 28-1 in 2005. After going 26-6 last year and missing the NCAA regional finals for the first time since 2011, the Huskers started over with a starting lineup featuring four true freshmen and a junior transfer (Beason). Cook’s Huskers won their first 27 matches of the season and held the No. 1 ranking from Oct. 23 through the end of the regular season. Despite having no seniors on the roster for just the second time in Cook’s time at Nebraska - as well as starting a true freshman at setter for only the second time in Cook’s tenure - the Huskers earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the sixth time overall under Cook.

• Cook was inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame in 2017, joining former Husker volleyball coach Terry Pettit in the hall.

 

REILLY, JACKSON LEAD U.S. U21 TEAM TO GOLD

• Nebraska sophomores Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson led the U.S. U21 National Team to the gold medal at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Toronto, Canada in June. Nebraska assistant coach Jaylen Reyes served as an assistant coach for the U21 National Team.

• The U.S. swept Puerto Rico 25-12, 25-16, 25-16 in the final to finish the tournament without dropping a set in five matches. Jackson finished with nine kills, three blocks and one ace, while Reilly set the U.S. to a .464 hitting percentage.

• In other international competition, Nebraska seniors Merritt Beason, Taylor Landfair and Lexi Rodriguez took the silver medal at the NORCECA Final Six as the U.S. National Team fell to Dominican Republic in five sets. The U.S. National Team - comprising only college players for this tournament - went toe-to-toe with the senior national team of the Dominican Republic. Beason had a team-high 14 kills in the final, while Rodriguez had 10 digs.

 

BLACKWELL, LANDFAIR JOIN HUSKERS

• Nebraska brought in two new additions via the transfer portal in the offseason in Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair and San Diego middle blocker Leyla Blackwell.

• Landfair, a 6-5 outside hitter from Plainfield, Ill., is a senior for the Huskers but has two years of eligibility remaining after receiving a medical hardship for the 2021 season. Landfair was the Big Ten Player of the Year and an AVCA first-team All-American in 2022 at Minnesota after 4.36 kills per set on .257 hitting with 1.63 digs per set. She had a career-high 28 kills in a win over Oregon and was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week, as well as the AVCA North Region Player of the Year. Last season, Landfair earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for the third time and averaged 3.19 kills and 2.03 digs per set.

• Blackwell, a 6-4 middle blocker  from San Diego, Calif., was a three-time All-WCC selection at San Diego and averaged 2.25 kills and 1.24 blocks per set with a .329 hitting percentage last season. Blackwell guided the Toreros to the NCAA Semifinals in 2022 by shattering the school record for single-season block assists (152), and she finished sixth nationally at 1.50 blocks per set. Blackwell has Big Ten experience as she began her career at Indiana in 2020-21 and led the team in blocking and hitting percentage.

 

HUSKERS ADD TWO TALENTED FRESHMEN

• Nebraska signed two freshmen in its 2024 class, libero Olivia Mauch and outside hitter Skyler Pierce.

• Mauch, a 5-6 libero from Bennington, Neb., was the starting libero for the U.S. Girls U19 Team that won gold at the 2023 FIVB U19 World Championships in Croatia. She had 13 digs in the championship match, a 3-2 comeback win over Turkey. Mauch averaged 7.1 digs per set and had 49 service aces in her senior season at Bennington, leading the Badgers to the Class B state semifinals twice. She was the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year. Mauch also trained with the U.S. U21 National Team in June 2024 in Anaheim, Calif.

• Pierce, a 6-2 outside hitter from Lenexa, Kan., also has major international experience with the U.S. National Team program, having competed at the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championships. Pierce starred at Olathe Northwest, where she averaged 4.6 kills per set with a .402 hitting percentage to go along with 230 digs, 67 aces and 43 blocks in her senior season in which the Ravens finished third at the Kansas 6A state tournament. Pierce was an AVCA first-team High School All-American and the MetroKC Volleyball Player of the Year.